


Snippets

by pinksnowboots



Series: Old Fanfics [1]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Angst, Ficlets, Fluff, M/M, Some AUs, iPod Meme, incredibly short ficlets, ipod shuffle fics, old fanfiction, shitty high school writing, various character cameos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-18
Updated: 2012-06-03
Packaged: 2018-01-05 06:28:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1090702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinksnowboots/pseuds/pinksnowboots
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Remember that iPod shuffle fic things that was popular a while back? Well, these are the results from me for the Bleach fandom. 10 ficlets for ByaRen, 10 for IkkaYumi, 5 for ShuuKira.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Byakuya/Renji

**Author's Note:**

> In case anyone doesn't know what the ipod shuffle challenge was, the deal was that you choose a pairing, put your ipod on shuffle, and write 10 ficlets based on the first 10 songs that come up on your ipod, writing each one in the span of the song (hence why they're so short, considering most songs are less than 3-4 minutes). I included the names of the songs that inspired each ficlet for reference.

**We Gotta Get You a Woman-Runt**

One of Ichigo's most annoying qualities nowadays was his matchmaking tendencies. The war had ended and Ichigo and Rukia had finally kissed in the euphoria and relief that followed the final clash. Now his latest idea was that his closest male friend from Sereitei needed to find a woman as well.

"I'm telling you, Renji, a woman really makes everything better. I mean, Rukia's a spitfire, but that can translate rather well in, …you know."

Renji shuddered at the thought of his two friends in such a position.

"Ichigo, I really miss the days when women's bodies terrified you."

Ichigo was affronted and began to defend his current prowess with women, before returning to the subject of getting Renji his own woman.

Renji had been pondering for weeks, (and Renji was not the pondering type), exactly how uninterested he was in anyone who shared Kuchiki Rukia's gender. Her family name, however, was a whole other matter.

 

**Again-Yui**

It always seemed to happen this way, no matter how much it frustrated Byakuya. His fukutaicho always managed to test the limits of propriety, good manners, common sense, and most of all, his self-restraint. Their relationship had very clear rules, and no personal affairs during working hours was one of the primary ones, but Renji had found a very clever loophole.

If Byakuya initiated, then technically he was the one who broke the rule.

So Renji had perfected a system when he was particularly bored to tease his taicho to the breaking point. The signs were obvious. He would play with his hair, letting it down more than was really necessary. He would glance over a Byakuya and give a half smile, seductively lowering his eyelids. And every time, Byakuya would blush while admonishing him, which only led the fukutaicho to play the mature and innocent one ("Why, whatever were you thinking, Kuchiki-taicho? Nothing inappropriate for work, I hope?")

Oooh, how Byakuya hated that smug (and unfortunately quite sexy) smirk.

Every time, Renji would tease him unashamedly with his own rulebook in the most infuriating of ways.

And every time, Byakuya seemed to find himself pushing the redhead against the captain's desk…again.

 

**Eleanor Rigby-The Beatles**

Byakuya knew what it was like to be lonely. He was at the top of the hierarchy, and while he looked down upon the masses, he looked up to them in some ways. They could be so free with their emotions and relationships, while he was bound by the utmost propriety. He had a family, but they were so bound by honor and duty that they were more like business associates.

Renji knew what it was like to be lonely. He was without a family except those which he found for survival, and Rukia. And as all of his ragtag, makeshift family died, one by one in street fights and accidents, Renji's loneliness (which had somewhat subsided, temporarily) returned full force. Rukia was the only person who kept him sane.

When the two men connected by Kuchiki Rukia and polarized by social standing met, they sensed a kindred spirit shared only by people who know what it is to really be alone.

 

**You've Got Her in Your Pocket-The White Stripes**

In a noble family, the head was expected to take a wife. She should be pretty, docile, and obedient. Kuchiki Hisana had fit the bill perfectly, although Byakuya was never truly able to treat her as a trophy the way a noble wife was supposed to be. When she died, he was devastated, because she had been a companion, not just a little pawn he kept in the folds of his shihakusho.

Rukia was nothing like her sister. Neither was Renji. Both were headstrong, beautiful and fascinating in a fierce way, and unerringly defiant. They challenged Byakuya, and it frustrated him, being used to submission and respect from everyone except Hisana, who had treated him with tender love and care. But eventually, he learned to love these two strange shinigami-one as a sister and the other as a lover.

 

**School's Out-Alice Cooper**

When Rukia and Renji graduated from the Shinigami Academy, they were both elated and unsure. Unsure about the future and their place in it. As they laughingly drank smuggled sake the night before the official ceremony, Renji confided in Rukia that he was terrified.

"I've been alone all my life, except for you. And now, now I might have somewhere where I can belong. But I'm afraid. I don't want to be alone again."

"Don't worry, baka. I won't let that happen."

After the elaborate ceremony where they received their official shihakusho and the status of a full-fledged shinigami, Rukia's conversation with Renji was interrupted by a very effeminate shinigami who Rukia addressed as nii-sama.

"Renji, this is my brother, Kuchiki Byakuya."

As Renji stuttered out a coarse greeting in return to Byakuya's cultured one, he was struck by the man's beauty and yet undeniable strength.

He never expected to see Rukia's brother again, except in passing, until he was assigned to the 6th division.

 

**Dancing With Myself-Glee Cast**

Byakuya hated being so restrained, and at the same time, he relished it. He had spent so long cultivating a spotless reputation that he forgot how to truly let go. His position simply gave him an excuse for his cold behavior.

When he met Abarai Renji, that excuse started to slip. His fukutaicho was irreverent and challenged everything that Byakuya's life had been built upon, and increasingly often, Byakuya would find himself looking in the mirror and wishing he had the strength to do something,anything that wasn't governed simply by the rules of class. But alone with only his troubled reflection, he never seemed to manage it.

It wasn't until Renji kissed him for the first time that he truly let go.

 

**Monkey in your Soul-Steely Dan**

Renji and Byakuya's zanpakuto couldn't be any more different. Byakuya's was the epitomy of elegance, dissolving into a beautiful, but deadly spray of cherry blossoms, which, in other circumstances, could have signified the meeting of lovers rather than the rage of battle. Renji's was wild and flashy, alternatively striking out as snake or monkey. His bankai was flashy and ostentatious, while Byakuya's was reserved, but deadly effective.

Although their zanpakuto were complete opposites, their wielders didn't seem to care. Renji developed a soft spot for cherry blossoms, while Byakuya secretly engraved the characters for snake and monkey in careful ink on parchment.

 

**Lean on Me-Glee Cast**

The bond between captain and lieutenant was one of the strongest in the shinigami world. The top two officers of a division were often as close as family, or sometimes even lovers. They experienced everything together, and the more traumatic experience, the closer the bond seemed to grow. Zaraki was practically Yachiru's father, and despite his callous and scientific nature, Nemu was devoted to her creator and taicho. When Aizen, Gin, and Tousen left, their lieutenants were left floating, directionless. Even if they had never been extremely close to their captains, they felt like part of the division, and part of themselves, was missing.

Renji and Byakuya had been through plenty of traumatic experiences together. They had fought alongside each other, and against each other. They had almost reached death at the other's hand, and they had both rejoiced that it was not the case. Once they had fought each other, and survived, their bond grew closer than ever, and they became each other's support for every hardship thereafter.

 

**Are You Gonna Be My Girl-Jet**

Byakuya was annoyed. His lieutenant was playing with a toy that Ichigo and Rukia had brought from the human world. It appeared to be a slim box, with a screen of some sort, and small bulbs on a wire that inserted into both ears. Personally, he thought it looked quite unpleasant, and had politely declined Renji's offer to show how it worked. Something about playing music.

Apparently, it did play music, although none that Byakuya had ever heard. He could hear faint noise coming from the machine, which Renji was listening to while sloppily signing paperwork. He was bobbing his head to the noise, which sounded horribly loud and uncultured. Byakuya preferred traditional music, but he did have to admit that his fukutaicho's earnest smile and bobbing to what he assumed was a beat was endearing.

At least it was endearing until he started to mouth the words, and out of the blue, Renji began to sing. Byakuya was trying to ignore the soft whispering noises, until he heard some of the lyrics.

"I said are you gonna be my girl?"

Byakuya stiffened, although Renji remained blissfully unaware.

"Abarai-fukutaicho."

Renji fumbled with the strange wire for a moment before sheepishly answering.

"Yes, taicho?"

"I am not by any means, a woman."

Renji looked confused, then burst out into laughter. With a slightly lecherous grin, he replied.

"Trust me, taicho, I know that fact very well."

 

**Owner of a Lonely Heart-Yes**

Byakuya and Renji had both been lonely once. Both had gained a temporary respite, then lost some of the only people they cared about. When they met and worked together, they hearts called out to one another for companionship of a fellow lonely heart. When they collided, it was built on tension and affection, but overall, on the urgent need for another person, for some kind of friendship. Becoming lovers made both feel much less alone. Once again, Byakuya shared his bed with another body. But it became much more than that. Just as their hearts brought them together, they kept them together. After they collided to ease their anguish, they couldn't bear to return to a perpetual solitary state. And they found in each other someone who could understand the need, and understand that it didn't necessarily start with love, but as they clung to each other emotionally and physically until their ache subsided, they started to uncover something more than need.

Something that seemed a lot like love.


	2. Ikkaku/Yumichika

**Someday-The Strokes**

When they were in the academy, Yumichika would always talk about the future, and the things that they'd do when they were in the Gotei 13. How they'd fight hollows, and join the 11th Squad, and meet other, beautiful shinigami. Ikkaku allowed all this fanciful planning because he knew it was Yumichika's way of expressing that he was upset with his life then. He was still teased for his feminine looks and his excessive preening over his appearance. He was never physically hurt, because despite his docile appearance, he was a fierce fighter, with lethal (and impeccably manicured) fingernails. And if he didn't get to someone, Ikkaku would.

When they joined the Gotei 13, Yumichika's ramblings about the future decreased, but stayed present. He spoke about working his way up in the ranks, along with Ikkaku, of course, and becoming famous. Whenever Yumichika talked this way, Ikkaku knew that he needed comforting of some sort, which he silently provided. It became their code of sorts.

After they became lovers, Yumichika's wishful thinking stopped. When Ikkaku asked why, he told him that now, the present was enough, thank you very much.

 

**Shame-Sister Hazel**

Yumichika's most shameful secret was a matter known only to himself and Ikkaku. One would think that it would his kido-type zanpaku-to and the strained relationship they had. But this was Yumichika, and his biggest disappointment would be much more shallow than that.

His hair was dyed.

Everyone knew that he primped more than a shinigami really should, but everyone assumed that the jungle of skincare and haircare products in his barracks were the extent of it. He was straightforward about most parts of his beauty regime, but he always asserted that his hair was naturally that beautiful, no dye required. It became a matter of safety-don't imply that Yumichika's hair was dyed, if you valued your life. Nobody broke that rule and escaped unscathed.

Except Ikkaku, who dutifully informed Yumichika every time his roots were showing and helped him smuggle in the hair dye from the human world. After all, what else are friends for?

 

**Dust in the Wind-Kansas**

Yumichika never worried about Ikkaku before the Ryoka Invasion. He was the 3rd seat of the famed fighting 11th division, second only to Zaraki and Yachiru. He had never lost a fight unless he was sparring with a captain, and his worst injuries always seemed to be self-inflicted. In Yumichika's eyes, he was invincible. So when he went to chase the shorter, brutish Ryoka and left the orange haired one to Ikkaku, he expected it to be over in an instant. But as he chased the other man around Sereitei, he began to feel Ikkaku's reitsu wavering, and finally drop to a low hum that signified unconsciousness.

Yumichika faltered for just a second as he realized that Ikkaku was defeated. A second later, the bomb hit him.

 

**A Day in The Life-The Beatles**

Ikkaku and Yumichika had been together for a long time-as friends, roomates, sparring partners, and eventually, lovers. They knew each other's habits and tics better than they knew their own. Ikkaku was the only person who knew that Yumichika snored, a fact which he would always deny, and Yumichika had memorized Ikkaku's rapt expression whenever he started to talk about a particularly good fight. Eventually, they had fallen into little routines.

Every morning, Yumichika would slip out of Ikkaku's arms, earning a small groan, as he went to start his beauty regimen. As soon as that was finished, he would wake Ikkaku, forcefully, if necessary, and make sure he stayed awake while Yumichika put the finishing touches on his hair and face.

As soon as he was sure Ikkaku was fully awake, he would drag him into the bathroom and present him with the two ever present feathers which adorned his right eye with a quick excuse.

You can see me, so you can do it better. If I mess it up and poke myself in the eye, it'll go all red and that will not be beautiful.

Both of them knew that it was an excuse-Yumichika had been wearing the feathers long before they became lovers, and probably could put them on himself with more accuracy. The subtext of his excuse was always clear.

I want you to be a part of my routine. Part of my life.

And once he had finished placing them to Yumichika's satisfaction (and if Yumichika was feeling, especially affection, he would grab Ikkaku's now empty hand and kiss his fingertips), Yumichika would carefully dip one finger into his red makeup-the only part Ikkaku had any use for-and carefully paint two red marks around Ikkaku's eyes, gently holding his face in place and clucking at Ikkaku not to move or he'd ruin everything.

Ikkaku would always sigh and look very put upon, but when Yumichika turned to wash his finger, Ikkaku always laughingly grabbed him by the waist and kissed him until Yumichika shoved him away.

 

**Still Alive-Three Mile Pilot**

Sometimes Ikkaku wondered at the fact that they were still alive and well. They had survived the Ryoka invasion, Aizen's betrayal, the Winter War, and even a human school. They had been beaten and wounded and almost killed, but somehow, by a miraculous stroke of luck, they always managed to make it back.

He used to wonder what he would do if he lived and Yumichika died, but then gave up on the thought. He couldn't even imagine life without the other man. Everything in Sereitei spoke of the other shinigami. Here was the alley where they'd confronted the Ryoka, here was the grounds where Ikkaku showed Yumichika his bankai, here was the out of the way alley where they'd first kissed after a night of drinking and carousing. And here was the bed that they now shared. Ikkaku knew that he couldn't walk through Sereitei, much less stay in his barracks, without aching for Yumichika. The thought alone terrified him.

So he decided, that if anyone died, it would be him, and if he had to die, he would do it protecting Yumichika.

 

**Laundry Room-The Avett Brothers**

The 11th division was never known for its kindness towards the 4th division. And somehow, through Zaraki's intimidation and Yachiru's puppy dog eyes, Unohana had agreed to make her division do the 11th's laundry during peacetime. Because of this, it was the 4th division who first found out about Ikkaku and Yumichika's relationship.

The signs were subtle, at first. Laundry contamination-Yumichika's impeccably pressed shihakusho would be mixed in with a bloody undershirt which couldn't possibly be his. Or something in Ikkaku's pile would inexplicably smell like some kind of perfume. At first, Hanataro, who was most commonly put on laundry duty, just dismissed it as carelessness on his part, or the fact that Ikkaku and Yumichika shared barracks. And for his sanity, he reasoned it away.

Eventually, it became more blatant, and he couldn't figure out how to reason away the lipstick stains on Ikkaku's underclothes.

 

**Natural Woman-Carole King**

Ikkaku was perplexed. He had been out drinking with Renji and Shuuhei, and when he returned, Yumichika was nowhere to be found. Zaraki hadn't seen him, and it was much past Yachiru's bedtime. None of the others seemed to be able to tell him where the flamboyant shinigami was either. Ikkaku knew that Yumichika could handle himself, but as much as he hated to admit it, he had trouble sleeping without him.

So Ikkaku tipsily stumbled through Sereitei searching for Yumichika. He had no luck, and was shouted at by several angry captains, until he walked past Rangiku's room, where he heard the unmistakable sounds of tipsy giggling. And then the voice of Yumichika.

"Of course, girls, the natural look is all fine and good-you wear it very well, Nanao-chan-but the only person who gets to see me without makeup is Ikkaku."

This was followed by another chorus of giggling as Ikkaku walked in to see his lover holding court among the female shinigami among various cups of sake.

"And there he is. Well, girls, it's been delightful, but I've got to go off to bed, if you know what I mean."

With a sly wink, Yumichika grabbed Ikkaku and dragged him along back to their room.

"Yumi?"

"Hmm?"

"Am I really the only one who sees you without all that stuff?"

"Well, yes. And I'm only saying this because I'm slightly tipsy right now because of Rangiku's vast supply of sake, but you make me feel beautiful even without all that stuff."

Even a half-drunk Ikkaku caught the romantic sentiment in that and took the chance to kiss his lover against the walls of the 8th division barracks.

 

**Gypsy-Fleetwood Mac**

Whenever Ikkaku asked what Yumichika did before they met, the answer was always very vague.

"Ah, I was around. A drifter, I suppose. I managed"

For some reason, he was reluctant to broach the subject, even to Ikkaku, and Ikkaku respected that. If Yumichika didn't want to share with even him, he would respect that. But because of the lack of answer, Ikkaku made a habit of fantasizing about Yumichika's past. A drifter, hmm? He considered a young Yumichika as an orphan, a noble, a prostitute, a thief, but his favorite was Yumichika as a gypsy. A drifter with graceful movements and arms full of jewelry, regal and always, always, beautiful. It was a fantasy, but he could see it sometimes, in the swish of Yumichika's hips, or in the way his wrists flicked when he fought.

 

**Cannonball-Supertramp**

Ikkaku was an unstoppable force. He fought with vigor and ferocity unmatched by anybody but his captain, and his determination in training was incredible. The Gotei 13 used him much like they used Zaraki-point him at the enemy and let go. Load the cannonball, light the fuse, and watch the chaos ensue. It always seemed to work, except for one thing. No matter where he was ordered to fight, Ikkaku would keep one eye on where Yumichika was fighting. Against most enemies, this wasn't a problem, and he dispatched them easily while still watching out for his lover, but against stronger enemies, his focus would falter and he would sustain more injuries than he would have otherwise. He still won, of course, but less handily. Zaraki was not one for strategy, but he noticed results in a fight, and eventually, he assigned Yumichika to stick with Ikkaku and set the cannonball straight on its course.

 

**Pretzel Logic-Steely Dan**

Ikkaku swore that Yumichika was inhuman. Well, they technically were, being shinigami, but that wasn't the point. The way he moved was damned well unnatural, even for spiritual beings.

Yumichika often picked up trends from the human world, especially if they would help his appearance. Most of the fads were discarded after a few weeks, but some stuck and became hobbies which Ikkaku, being Yumichika's partner and lover, was subjected to. The latest was yoga. Although they had soon discovered that Ikkaku was not good at sitting still for long periods of time, Yumichika took to it immediately and devoted about an hour to it every evening. Usually Ikkaku would go out with friends so as to not cause a disturbance, but that day, Renji was staying late with Byakuya, ostensibly to finish some paperwork, and Shuuhei had disappeared somewhere, probably with the other lieutenants. So Ikkaku was stuck watching Yumichika bend and stretch and arch in ways that showed off every part of his slender body and Ikkaku was beginning to remember why he left during yoga hour. Every pose seemed to be extremely sensual-Tree, Warrior, Cobra, Downward Facing Dog. Hell, they even sounded dirty if you thought long enough. And an hour of this was a long time to think. Ikkaku had a hard time not staring whenever Yumichika arched his back or extended his legs, and he swore that Yumichika was moving towards more suggestive poses on purpose.

While holding a particularly long Cobra pose, Ikkaku swore that Yumichika caught him staring and winked.

Ikkaku snapped. Fuck yoga hour. They were going to bed, especially if Ikkaku had to drag Yumichika there in his loose yoga pants.


	3. Shuuhei/Kira

**Angels-John Tirro**

As shinigami, they didn't tend to have traditional religious beliefs. But the shinigami who liked to travel to the world of the living tended to bring back information about the culture of the human world. Rukia often brought back small curiousities. The one which fascinated Kira the most was a little figuring who seemed to have wings and a small circle hovering over its head. She explained that it was an angel. Angels were thought to be protectors who took care of people when they were in trouble, and Kira could not help but think of Hisagi. His darkest time had been after the desertion of his captain. Hisagi had somehow kept Kira sane while somehow finding time to deal with his own demons and keep his division and Kira's running smoothly. Kira felt like he could never thank the man enough for getting him through that time, although Hisagi told him over and over that it wasn't necessary. So when Rukia pressed the angel figurine into his hand, Kira slipped it under the pillow of the futon that he and Hisagi shared.

 

**Travelin' Prayer-Billy Joel**

People tended to think that Kira was the weaker one in their relationship, mentally and physically. He certainly looked frailer, and had been part of the 4th Division, which carried a certain stigma. Hisagi knew that his lover could take care of himself, but that didn't stop him from worrying. Kira seemed to have spent his fear in the Ryoka Invasion, and came out of his mourning much more stable and relaxed, while Shuuhei, having seen just how fragile Izuru could be, became fiercely and subtly protective. Whenever Kira was sent off on a mission, Shuuhei dogged the captains until he was allowed to accompany him. It wasn't that he didn't trust Kira, more that he didn't trust the world around Kira. They had once fought about Hisagi's overprotective nature, and he had eventually relented and agreed to let Kira go on missions alone. It was a small step, but a difficult one. For every night he had to spend alone in Sereitei, he couldn't help but clutch the angel figurine he had found under his pillow and pour all his energy into wishing his lover safety.

 

**I'll Try-Jesse McCartney**

It wasn't easy for Kira to expose himself. He had never been entirely comfortable with himself, and withdrawing came easily to him. When he met Hisagi, who laid himself bare through his clearly visible scars and tattoo, it shamed him. But Shuuhei was kind, and Shuuhei was patient. He let Izuru hide for as long as he needed to, and eventually, Kira was revealed to him, mentally, emotionally, and physically. It was the deepest kind of trust that Kira had ever given anyone, and Hisagi guarded it with the utmost caution. He held himself back while Kira tried desperately to open up, and eventually, he broke through.

 

**Queen Bee-Grand Funk Railroad**

Hisagi was a king. At Shino Academy, in the Gotei 13, in the Shinigami Women's Association. He was strong, talented, charismatic, and everyone seemed to gravitate around him. It was inevitable that he'd make captain someday, and everyone told him so. While Kira was pleased with his lover's accomplishments, he strongly disapproved of the SWA's habit of calling him Hisagi's "queen."

 

**Boogie Wonderland-Earth Wind and Fire**

It wasn't rare to see Kira and Hisagi among the regular crowd at the local bars. However, it was rare to see them on the dance floor together. While Yumichika strutted and preened in the spotlight and Matsumoto never passed up an opportunity to show off, Izuru and Shuuhei were more likely to be seen off to the side with Ikkaku, Renji, and a couple cups of sake. It wasn't that they found the idea revolting, but for such a graceful fighter, Shuuhei was downright clumsy when music was introduced. Kira, surprisingly, was quite an adept dancer when Matsumoto dragged him onto the floor. However, his natural shyness and his lover's protective nature made him reluctant to go with Matsumoto. The pair much preferred to dance together privately, in all senses of the word.


End file.
